Florida Congresswoman Lois Frankel is back home in the U.S. after a week-long visit to the troops overseas, including her first visit to Afghanistan. The U.S. Representative received updates about how things were going in that country, from diplomatic efforts to the transition to a lesser American military presence. Frankel also visited with Afghan leaders as well as the American troops.
“I wanted the troops that we visited to know that they’re not out of sight and forgotten. So, part of it was to thank them, to see for myself how they were doing, and what their conditions were. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I was interested in what some of the hotbeds of terrorist activity are in those parts of the world,” said Frankel.
This trip was even more special for the U.S. Representative because Afghanistan is also one of the places her son, a former Marine, did a military tour.
“It still felt very threatening over there. We had to travel with body armor on, high security with machine gun-type weapons. And, so I know my son was there during the high point of the war. So, it was sort of an emotional—I wouldn’t say it was a homecoming for me—but, to go where he had been...we spent final day of our trip with quite a number of army personnel. To me, looking into all these young people’s faces, I saw my son,” added Frankel.
Frankel made her trip during the week of Memorial Day along with a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders. They also traveled to other countries, including Qatar, Germany, and Kosovo.
Frankel represents the state's 22nd Congressional District in the South Florida area.
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